The Royal Family has given Prince Julian an ultimatum: take a much-needed vacation or lose all their support when he makes his bid for Ethereal’s throne. Their choice of destination: a whimsical exotic paradise called Eden, which travel guides describe as a place where every person’s fantasy becomes reality.

The cynical workaholic prince expects the island’s magic to be lost on him until he stumbles upon Cass, a blind girl whose face has been mysteriously haunting Julian’s dreams for years. As their time together on the island becomes preciously short, Julian knows he must force himself to accept the truth…..

Cass may own his heart, but another woman shall be his princess.

Review:

When I first read the synopsis I was captured by the intriguing and interesting idea of an Island where not everything is what it seams and as a loyal Fan of Marian Tee, I could not wait to get my teeth into this book! So I rushed to get a cup of Hot Chocolate, found myself in my armchair and snuggled down, very relaxed and ready to become whisked away by Marian Tee’s words.

We begin by first meeting Cass (Cassandra Barker) but not in the typical way. We do not meet her in very happy circumstances at all, she is being held captive by an unknown man after her parents have been murdered, but it is only from the sound of Julian’s voice and directions does she get through it, it is from there she goes to the Island named Eden to wait for the mystery voice that has helped her to escape. Eden is where she need to be to wait for him. What we find out early on about Cass is that she is not your typical woman – she is blind but also has a gift that is vital to the story line. Cass has dreamed about Julian every night for two years, they have spent every sleeping moment together getting to know each other. But the reality is quite different, the Julian she meets in person is not quite who she meets in her dreams. But with the ingrained knowledge they are meant to be together, she embarks on a very inspiring and remarkable mission to convince Prince Julian she is the woman for him.

Julian (Prince Julian Rivera) is a hard working Prince who is used to putting Ethereal before himself. His stress meter is at about as high as any person can get so his family have directly “tricked” him into taking a vacation to relax all of his senses before they will be prepared to back him for the throne. Knowing that Eden is not what it seems and that the magic there will give him exactly what he needs they block him from any forms of communication with the outside world and also bar him from leaving the Island, much to the distress of the Island’s staff who bear the brunt of Julian’s anger at not being able to leave to get back to his people at a time when he feels they need him most.

He too has been dreaming of Cass in every sleeping moment, but just like in Cass’s experience when they meet, the one person he sees in front of him and gets to know, is not the same person he has been meeting with nightly for 2 years. The woman he knows has kept him sane and has relieved the pressures that being a Prince brings with seduction and rousing tactics. The “real” Cass is nothing like this but The Island of Eden works in mysterious ways and what bursts forth from here is nothing short of sensational!

But we can’t forget the unseen force, the one who murdered Cass’s parents, the evil she has been hiding from in Eden – As Julian and Cass get closer so does the evil, she knows something and is more than she seems. Can Julian protect her in time or will the evil envelop her? Their connection is unique, something to be revered, but the evil is strong and is someone that no one saw coming – who can they trust and will the magic of Eden help them remember who they are?

This book was incredible! From page one you are addicted, needing to read just one more page, till it becomes just one more chapter to suddenly I had read the whole book from cover to cover without realizing how much time had passed. Marian Tee has a stellar reputation and the style of writing, the plot, the characters and the way it just pulls you in, lives up to her name. I could not recommend this book more and cannot wait to read the rest of the Invitation to Eden Series! A definite MUST read!